As per the Global Fund 2020-22 Report, Malaria is one of the major public health problems in India. With children 5 times more vulnerable to this disease, their cases were witnessing a sudden outbreak - especially in the Bareilly district of India. The district alone accounted for 50% of the malaria cases in the biggest state of India, Uttar Pradesh. Hence, Bareilly became the number one priority for Mortein, a trusted name in household insecticide, to act and achieve India's goal of being Malaria-free by 2030.

Instead of using modern science to combat this threat, mothers continued applying two Black Dots (Kaala Teeka) on children every day. There’s a strong belief amongst Indian mothers that applying 2 Teeka (black dots) will protect their children from all harm and ward-off the evil eye.

Applying 2 Kaala Teeka (black dots) to protect children from the evil-eye is an age-old practice in Indian households. The mention of this is also found in the 2400-year-old Mahabharata, the most revered book in Hindu religion. But the modern evil, malaria, was now threatening the health of children, and mothers were unable to find an absolute way to protect their little ones. So we used the old-tradition that mothers follow everyday and converted it into a life-saving solution.

We reformulated the traditional Kaala Teeka and infused it with natural oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, a natural mosquito repellent. Two dots of which would help provide protection against the evil-eye, and also create a mosquito repelling perimeter around the entire child. It was developed to look and feel the same as the traditional Teeka. Its pack was designed using Aipan folk art, as it itself is considered to ward-off the evil-eye.

The data from the Global Fund Report and WHO showed us the sad reality of malaria in India. The studies of the National Institute of Health helped us gather information about the state of malaria cases in various parts of India. Through which we were able to shortlist Bareilly district that accounted for almost 50% of cases in the biggest state of the country. We focused on children, as they were 5 times more vulnerable to malaria. The Indian Census Data helped us ascertain the number of children, mothers and households in Bareilly we wanted to approach.

The mothers of these children became our primary audience. We engaged with them at multiple strategic touchpoints like their houses, local markets, village squares, etc.

The actionable call was to use Suraksha Ka Teeka - apply it just like the traditional Kaala Teeka, one on the forehead, one on the ankle.

After months of analyzing the making of the traditional Kaala Teeka, the Mortein Advanced Research Lab infused the traditional Teeka to make the Suraksha Ka Teeka. Lemon Eucalyptus oil, a natural mosquito-repellent, was used to create it.

It was developed to look and feel the same as the traditional Teeka. Its pack was designed using Aipan folk art, as it itself is considered to ward-off the evil-eye.

We deployed a door-to-door distribution campaign spearheaded by volunteers and local health workers to reach the product directly into the hands of mothers. Also, an educational program was deployed for maximum reach using traditional baby Maalish (massage) Ladies to reach out to mothers.

The product was manufactured in December 2022, following which the initiative was launched in the Bareilly district of India. Mortein would soon deploy this innovative solution across multiple districts and areas in India which have high occurrences of Malaria cases.

The activity resulted in 4380+ children being protected from malaria, over 750 families impacted and garnered 97% adoption rate among mothers after the initial distribution drive. The important aspect was that Mothers across all villages preferred to use the Suraksha Ka Teeka over the traditional Kaala Teeka.

This new product helped brand Mortein establish the position of an expert when it came to mosquito repellents in households. The brand would soon deploy this innovative solution across multiple states in India which have high occurrences of Malaria cases.

The Suraksha Ka Teeka ensured protection to not just children but built hope for their families too. For families every healthy child meant that an entire generation was protected. Now, children were able to thrive healthily, without any threat to their lives. It also saved them from other fatal mosquito borne diseases.